Radiation Synthesis of Poly(N-Vinyl Pyrrolidone) Nanogels and Nanoscale Grafting of Poly(Acrylic Acid) from Cellulose

Ionizing radiation has long been known to be a very useful tool for the preparation of nanogels. Although preparation is straightforward, the control of the sizes of nanogels has been a challenging issue. This report shows the results of our work on using radiation for the synthesis of PVP nanogels in the range of 40-200nm by making use of the principles of solution thermodynamics of aqueous polymer solutions. Nanoscale grafting of responsive polymers however has been of scientific and industrial importance due to fine control of the molecular weight and molecular weight distribution of grafted polymers. The second part of this report deals with the grafting of poly(acrylic acid) onto the surface of cellulose, thus imparting pH response to the substrate. The use of radiation as a constant source of radical generation and Reversible-Addition-Fragmentation-Chain transfer agents for the control of free radical polymerization provided a full control over the molecular weight and distribution of poly(acrylic acid) grafts on cellulose. (author)